Lonesome Dove

  
The most recent edition of Texas Monthly magazine highlights the 25th anniversary of the publication of Lonesome Dove, an epic written by Larry McMurtry that is today considered one of the greatest Western novels and television films of all time.

It is fitting in some ways that the anniversary of Lonesome Dove's publication falls close to Father's Day, as it is in many ways a tale about a father and son who struggle to acknowledge their relationship.  It is also a story about the bonds of friendship and the brutal life of a cowboy, and the article in Texas Monthly describes the work as "the great hero myth of Texas, the state's favorite depiction of itself and the world's favorite depiction of Texas."  The article's author, John Spong, continues to note that "few books or films manage to...address life in a way they wish they could...and none has done it for Texas to the extent of Lonesome Dove.  It's our Gone With the Wind.  It's the way we want to see ourselves."

At the same time, as the article celebrates McMurtry's work and goes to great lengths to describe how influential and heralded the story has become in just a quarter of a century, the author himself seems to back away from any grand glorification of Lonesome Dove.  In an interview, he states that "it's just a book.  The fact that people connect with it and make a fetish out of it is something I prefer to ignore."

It's interesting to hear these comments by the author contrasted by the praise that is continually heaped upon Lonesome Dove and the attention and devotion it receives as a story.  I think it is important to recognize that, although it may be a touching and entertaining story, Lonesome Dove is truly just a book.  While I appreciate the tales it provides of fathers and sons, of heroes and villains, of life and loss, of sin and redemption, of glory and shame, and of close friendships, I know that these are all elements that point to the greater Story that continues to play out in our lives.  Bill Witliff, the writer who adapted the novel into a television mini-series, touches upon this idea in the article when he describes his "view about great art, whether it's stories, poetry, music, whatever.  None of it tells you anything new; it merely reminds you of something you already know but forgot you knew."  Perhaps its authenticity in portraying these aspects of humanity's Story is what makes Lonesome Dove such an engaging and enjoyable tale. 

I look forward to celebrating Lonesome Dove's 25th anniversary myself sometime soon by pulling out our DVD copy and enjoying getting to watch once again the story of cowboys and their adventures on a brutal cattle drive.  As I do, I'm sure I'll think fondly of Texas, and I'll also again be reminded of aspects of God's Story in our lives that I already knew but forgot I knew.